For example, a couple of weeks ago, California regulators authorized Southern California Edison (SCE) to install about 500 megawatts of solar power on commercial rooftops. They also gave the go-ahead to Pacific Gas and Electric to begin work on a 500 megawatt project to install ground mounted solar photovoltaic arrays near PGE’s electrical substations. The New York Power Authority has just started a project to build about 100 megawatts of solar arrays at various locations in NY. And Recurrent Energy of San Francisco announced that they have signed contracts with SCE to provide 50 megawatts of electricity from small solar farms they plan to build on private land in Kern and San Bernardino counties.

“Distributed solar is faster on permitting, on environmental issues and interconnection to the grid,” said Arno Harris, Recurrent’s chief executive. “It offers a safety valve for utilities who don’t want to put all their eggs in one basket.”